Page 37 of Obsession: The Unspoken Sin
Denbigh quietly cursed. “Forgive me.”
Alice stared at him askance.
“I’d made it clear to Bishop that he was to deal directly with you were you to ever contact him. I will speak with him about the transgression and make sure it will never happen again.”
His chest aching, Denbigh took a hasty step to leave. He’d made it less than half a pace when Alice inserted herself directly in his path.
“I didn’t come here to see Bishop,” she said frantically. “I came to see you.”
“Me,” he repeated.
The lump in his throat moved up and down wildly again. He held himself motionless, awaiting the confirmation of something to be true.
Alice nodded.
And as he’d spent far too much time talking and failing to listen, he respected her right to speak.
Except, she didn’t speak. Alice, drifted close, leaned up on tiptoe, wrapped her arms about his neck, and kissed him. While she kissed him, tenderly touching her mouth to his, he hovered with his arms outstretched on either side of him, in prayer, in supplication, in surrender.
“I love you, Laurence. I always have,” she breathed against his lips.
A sheen misted his eyes. He waited for her to speak—only… she stared expectantly at him.
“Is there abutin there?” Fear lent a warbly quality to his halting query.
Alice dusted a tear from his cheek. He’d never cried before now. And he didn’t care. He’d have her see all of him. He’d never again hide his emotions from her.
“I was furious that you were not honest with me,” she said softly.
“I kn—” His voice broke. “I know,” he said when he was able to fully speak.
Then he groaned and buried his mouth against hers, kissing her with all he was and all the love he’d carried for her.
“I love you,” he rasped.
Panting, Alice returned his kisses with a matched passion. “You love me?”
“How could you not know?” he asked.
He brought a hand up between them for her to see.
Alice’s eyes went to the turquoise ribbon. Her lush lips wet from his kiss parted. Her passion-filled gaze moved from Denbigh to the old scrap and then back again to him.
Her breathy exhalations of desire blended with joyous wonder. “My ribbon,” she whispered.
Denbigh joined their fingers around the satin strip. “I have fought myself for so long, denying what I want, but you are like breath, air to my lungs. You are the reason my heart beats and the blood flows in my veins.”
Moaning his name, Alice gripped Denbigh hard by his nape, and attempted to force his mouth to hers.
It took every bit of restraint, but he managed to turn from her volatile kiss.
Alice cried out. “Why did you stop?”
Denbigh dropped to his knees and lovingly took her hands in his and brought them to his mouth. He dropped a kiss upon the tops of each knuckle, lifting his gaze to her slightly dazed one, and asked her the only question he wanted, putting one final plea to her.
“Please, marry me, Alice. Let me spend every single moment of every single day making you smile and laugh and making Laurel happy too.”
Chapter 15
